Prototype: German State Railroad Company (DRG) Ruhr Express Service commuter train. Class 38 steam locomotive with a tender. 3 Prussian design compartment cars in a special paint schemes. 2nd and 3rd class with a brakeman's cab, as well as 3rd class with and without a brakeman's cab.
Article No. | 81437 |
---|---|
Gauge / Design type | Z / 1:220 |
Era | II |
Kind | Train Sets |
Model: The locomotive comes with all driving axles powered. It has a separately applied "Ruhr-Schnellverkehr" ("Ruhr Express Service") sign on the front. The car frames have truss rods and underbody details. They also have separately applied running boards, ladders, and grab irons. All of the train's wheels have dark nickel plated wheel treads. Total length over the buffers 348 mm / 13-11/16".
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The increase in the population in the Ruhr and Saal areas led to a demand for fast connections between cities as early as the provincial railroad period. Different studies were commissioned and carried out. The actual breakthrough did not occur until 1932, when the "Ruhr Express Service" was placed into service with a total of 32 trains between Essen and Dortmund. The train routes were continuously expanded and extended to Cologne, Mönchengladbach, and Wuppertal-Vohwinkel. In addition to different powered rail cars, the 4-axle "Prussian design" compartment cars were quite successful in this service. The attractive paint scheme became a brand symbol for this regularly scheduled express passenger service. The dense sequence of stations, most of them only a 30 to 60 second stop, demanded locomotives that could accelerate quickly. The class 78 met this requirement as if it were child"s play. The additional sign mounted on the smoke box was another indication of the special use for these units.